Barack Obama is sworn in as the first African-American president of the United States on January 20, 2009.
Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama will join what is perhaps America's most exclusive club, peppered with names such as Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt, when he delivers his second inaugural address on Monday.
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Sixteen of his 43 predecessors, including five of the nation's first seven presidents, gave more than one inauguration speech, topped by the unprecedented four by Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
While inaugurations celebrate American democracy through the peaceful transition or extension of power at a ceremony full of pageantry and color, a second inaugural address tends to feel like many second weddings -- important, for sure, but lacking some of the nervous anticipation of the first one.
That could be especially true for Obama, whose historic ascendancy to the White House four years ago as the nation's first African-American president defined a new political era.
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"On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord," he told a frigid crowd estimated at a record 1.8 million people that stretched the length of the National Mall on January 20, 2009.
Much of Washington rejoiced that day and night, with 10 official inaugural balls and scores of unofficial ones epitomizing the grandeur of the moment.
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Now Obama is a weathered incumbent. His hair is graying at age 51 from a first term of tribulations, including an inherited recession, the end of one war and the winding down of another, and constant political brinksmanship with Congress over budgets and spending.
His declaration at his first inauguration of an end to "the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics" proved unfounded.
GOP opponents threaten default and government shutdown over upcoming debt ceiling and funding deadlines. Obama also faces a political showdown over his gun control proposals -- one of Washington's most intractable issues -- in the wake of last month's school massacre that killed 20 first-graders in Newtown, Connecticut.
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Whether he will explicitly cite such challenges in his second inaugural address was unclear. Asked about Obama's preparations, White House spokesman Jay Carney on Thursday would only offer that the president was "very appreciative of the fact that the American people have given him this opportunity to deliver a second inaugural address."
"He takes very seriously speeches of this kind, and he's very engaged in the process," Carney added, noting that Obama wrote initial drafts of speeches in longhand on yellow pads. "I've seen some yellow pads of late with writing."
History provides little guidance on what to expect Monday. While themes of unifying the country and seeking God's blessings are common to most inaugural addresses, second efforts have come in varied lengths and styles.
Ulysses S. Grant concluded his second inaugural address with a claim of vindication. He noted that his role as Union military leader and president subjected him to "abuse and slander scarcely ever equaled in political history, which today I feel that I can afford to disregard in view of your verdict" of re-election.
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Some two-term presidents focused their second speeches on particular challenges at hand, such as Abraham Lincoln's highly regarded address in the final days of the Civil War in 1865, shortly before his assassination.
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"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations," Lincoln said to conclude the speech of 697 words, a fraction of the 3,610 in his first inaugural address.
He had acknowledged that difference to begin his remarks, saying: "At this second appearing to take the oath of the presidential office there is less occasion for an extended address than there was at the first."
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In a passage that would seem to fit Obama also, Lincoln noted that "at the expiration of four years, during which public declarations have been constantly called forth on every point and phase of the great contest which still absorbs the attention and engrosses the energies of the nation, little that is new could be presented."
Three score and 12 years earlier, George Washington set the standard for a shortened second inaugural speech. He limited it to 135 words, compared with the 1,428 he spoke when he became the nation's first president.
Roosevelt's fourth and final inaugural address, in 1945, also was his shortest, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin told CNN.
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"It was a five-minute speech, and he needed to fortify himself with whiskey in order to get through the pain that he was feeling" from the heart failure that would kill him months later, she said, noting Roosevelt also canceled the traditional inaugural parade that year.
"In the middle of a war, why are we going to have a parade, who's going to parade?" she said Roosevelt had asked. "Normally you have military people parading, and they were in the war itself."
More recently, the trend has been to talk longer the second time around, as demonstrated by both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
While only Obama knows if he will scale back his speech from the 2,395 words of four years ago, other inaugural staples are being reduced this time.
There will be two official inaugural balls, eight fewer than in 2009. Because January 20 -- Inauguration Day -- falls on a Sunday this year, the official swearing-in will occur at the White House, attended by the president's family.
Monday will be the public ceremony, with Obama to be sworn in again by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts at the U.S. Capitol, followed by the president's speech and then the parade up Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House.
A crowd of 800,000, smaller than last time, is expected.
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CNN's Alan Silverleib contributed to this report.
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George W. Bush stands next to his wife, Laura, and his two daughters at his second inauguration on January 20, 2005.
George W. Bush is sworn in for his first term on January 20, 2001.
Bill Clinton is sworn in for the second time on January 20, 1997.
Bill Clinton takes his first inaugural oath on January 20, 1993.
Chief Justice William Rehnquist administers the oath of office to President George H. W. Bush on January 20, 1989.
Ronald Reagan is sworn in on January 21, 1985, at the U.S. Capitol for his second term by Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger.
Ronald Reagan is sworn in as 40th president of the United States on January 20, 1981.
Jimmy Carter is sworn in on January 20, 1977.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger swears in Gerald Ford on August 9, 1974, after the resignation of President Richard Nixon.
Chief Justice Warren E. Burger administers the oath of office to Richard M. Nixon for his second term at the U.S. Capitol, January 20, 1973.
Richard Nixon takes the oath of office as he is sworn in as the 37th president of the United States on January 20, 1969.
Lyndon B. Johnson, left, is sworn in for his second term by Chief Justice Earl Warren on January 20, 1965.
Lyndon B. Johnson takes the oath of office on November 22, 1963, after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy's widow, Jacqueline, stands at Johnson's side. U.S. District Judge Sarah T. Hughes swore in Johnson on Air Force One.
John F. Kennedy is sworn in on January 20, 1961.
A crowd gathers outside the U.S. Capitol for Dwight D. Eisenhower's second inauguration on January 20, 1957.
Dwight D. Eisenhower takes the oath of office on January 20, 1953.
President Harry S. Truman waves to the crowd from a car during a parade after his inauguration speech on January 20, 1949.
Chief Justice Harlan F. Stone administers the oath of office to Harry S. Truman in the Cabinet Room of the White House on April 12, 1945, after death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his fourth and final inauguration speech on January 20, 1945. He was the last president allowed to hold more than two terms.
Franklin D. Roosevelt gives his third inaugural address on January 20, 1941.
Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes Sr. administers the oath of office to Franklin D. Roosevelt for his second term on January 20, 1937. This marked the first January event; before this, inaugurations were traditionally held in March.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt is sworn in for his first term on March 4, 1933.
Herbert Hoover's inauguration is held on March 4, 1929.
Calvin Coolidge is sworn in for his second term on March 4, 1925.
Calvin Coolidge is given the oath of office by his father, Col. John Coolidge, in Plymouth, Vermont, on August 3, 1923, after the death of President Warren G. Harding.
Warren G. Harding is sworn in on March 4, 1921.
Soldiers pass the viewing stand during the inaugural ceremony for Woodrow Wilson's second term on March 4, 1917.
Woodrow Wilson's first inauguration was held on March 4, 1913.
William Howard Taft was inaugurated on March 4, 1909.
Theodore Roosevelt takes the oath of office for his second term on March 4, 1905.
Theodore Roosevelt takes the oath of office in Buffalo, New York, on September 14, 1901, after the assassination of President William McKinley.
Chief Justice Melville Fuller administers the oath of office to President William McKinley for his second term on March 4, 1901.
William McKinley takes his first the oath of office on March 4, 1897.
Grover Cleveland's second inauguration is held on March 4, 1893.
Chief Justice Melville W. Fuller administers the oath of office to Benjamin Harrison on the east portico of the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 1889. Harrison served between Cleveland's two terms.
Grover Cleveland delivers his first inaugural address to the crowd on the east portico of U.S. Capitol on March 4, 1885.
New York Supreme Court Justice John R. Brady administers the oath of office to Vice President Chester A. Arthur in a private ceremony in Arthur's residence in New York on September 20, 1881, after the assassination of President James A. Garfield.
Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite administers the oath of office to James A. Garfield on the east portico of the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 1881.
Rutherford B. Hayes takes the oath of office from Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite on the east portico of the U.S. Capitol on March 5, 1877.
Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase administers the oath of office for Ulysses S. Grant's second term on March 4, 1873.
Ulysses S. Grant takes his first oath of office, administered by Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase, on the east portico of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on March 4, 1869.
Andrew Johnson takes the oath of office from Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase in Washington on April 15, 1865, after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
Abraham Lincoln take the oath of office for the second time on March 4, 1865.
The first inauguration of Abraham Lincoln takes place on March 4, 1861.
James Buchanan's inauguration is held at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 1857.
Chief Justice Roger B. Taney administers the oath of office to Franklin Pierce on the east portico of the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 1853.
Millard Fillmore was sworn in on July 10, 1850, after the death of President Zachary Taylor.
Zachary Taylor is sworn in on March 5, 1849.
James K. Polk was sworn in on March 4, 1845.
John Tyler took the oath of office on April 6, 1841, after the death of William Henry Harrison, who died after just 32 days in office.
William Henry Harrison took the oath of office on March 4, 1841.
Martin Van Buren was inaugurated on March 4, 1837.
Andrew Jackson was sworn in for his second term on March 4, 1833.
Andrew Jackson was inaugurated for his first term on March 4, 1829, on the east portico of the U.S. Capitol.
John Quincy Adams was sworn into office on March 4, 1825.
James Monroe was sworn in for his second term on March 4, 1821.
James Monroe was sworn in for his first term on March 4, 1817.
James Madison was inaugurated for his second term on March 4, 1813.
James Madison was sworn in for his first term on March 4, 1809.
Thomas Jefferson was sworn in for his second term on March 4, 1805.
Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated for his first term on March 4, 1801.
John Adams was inaugurated on March 4, 1797.
George Washington stands outside his carriage at his second inauguration on March 4, 1793.
Sword by his side, George Washington takes his inaugural oath as the first president of the United States on April 30, 1789.
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